Blood Brothers
by thetyger
Summary: A high-profile lawyer is murdered in his house, and the serious crimes unit is left to investigate.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is set during season 4. I hope you enjoy it! **

* * *

**Blood Brothers**

_**Chapter 1**_

Cho and Rigsby, seated at the desk, watched intently as the five cards switched places at an incredible pace. They then came to an abrupt halt, and the consultant looked up at them expectantly.

"So boys, where is the eight of diamonds?" he asked, a wide, cheeky grin spread across his face.

"Umm, that one" Rigsby announced, pointing to the card on the far right.

"Yeah, that one" Cho agreed.

"Are you sure?" Jane asked.

"Sure" they said in unison.

"Are you sure enough to put $10 on it?" said Jane hopefully, still smirking.

"No" Cho had learnt long ago that gambling with Jane was a pointless waste of money.

Rigsby, it seemed, hadn't quite worked that out. Or he just couldn't resist.

"Ok, $10, now show me the card" he urged impatiently.

The smile on Jane's face now was unmistakable, as he flipped over the card to reveal…

"Three of spades? How did you do that, man?" Rigsby asked in shock, as he flipped over the other cards. There, right in the centre, was the eight of diamonds.

Van Pelt smirked from behind her computer screen. _Rigsby would never learn. _

"You want another shot?" Jane asked.

"No" Rigsby declined, a tinge of irritation in his voice.

Lisbon entered the bullpen.

"We have a homicide, Wainwright has asked us to deal with it as quickly as possible, so it must be someone important" she announced to the team.

"Why do important people always get special treatment when they die? I mean, they're dead, so they can't really do anything about it if they don't" Jane commented.

"Because people can't get away with killing important people without severe punishment, or else it might happen more often" Lisbon informed him.

"But what if you didn't kill the person because they were important? What if you killed them for some other reason?" Jane questioned.

"Look Jane, regardless of importance, we still need to find out who killed the guy because it's our job. So let's get going".

"Oh, hold on a sec, Rigsby owes me $10" Jane said, as if he'd only just remembered.

"Come on Jane, I'll pay you back later" Rigsby groaned.

"I don't think so". Jane pulled a hand from behind his back and revealed Rigsby's wallet, waving it around in victory.

"Hey, how did you do that? When did you take it?" Rigsby cried, lunging over the desk for his wallet.

Jane smile, dodging Rigsby's outstretched arm. He flicked open the wallet, took the $10 he was owed, and threw it back to its owner.

Lisbon rolled her eyes. She could never understand why he kept making bets with Jane. He had _never_ won, and had probably lost hundreds of dollars in the process of trying.

Rigsby followed her in silence. Jane smiled at Van Pelt, who laughed as she left just behind Cho, who had broken his usual straight face and was grinning.

* * *

They pulled up at a large, expensive looking house, with perfectly manicured lawns and an impression of grandeur. This impression was ruined slightly by the three police cars parked in the driveway, lights still flashing.

Jane particularly hated the sort of people who lived in palaces like this, and Lisbon was even more concerned than usual about him insulting the family members of their victim. He was in one of those moods when he just loved causing trouble.

"Jane, please don't do anything to irritate the family, I'm serious" she had urged him on the way, but his response had not been encouraging.

"Only if they don't ask for it. That's the thing with most rich, powerful people. They think they're so superior to everyone else because they can buy their way up, but a lot of the time they're just stupid people who got lucky".

No matter how much she begged, he would not change his view. She contemplated leaving him to wait in the car, but she knew his insight would make up for every insult he made, and all the trouble he cause.

Providing it wasn't too serious.

Lisbon led the way across the lawn, and was met by a proud looking woman in her late fifties. Jane followed.

The woman was dressed in an elegant red dress and wore the most expensive jewellery Lisbon had ever seen. Her face was heavily made-up, her hair meticulous and she held herself with such authority that Lisbon found she felt slightly intimidated. She was also filled with dread, as this was exactly the type of person Jane found such pleasure in annoying.

"You must be Ms Lisbon, I'm _so _glad you're here" the lady greeted her, in a voice that lacked any sincerity and was riddled with superiority.

"It's actually Agent Lisbon" Jane piped up, but was quickly quietened by a well-timed glare from Lisbon.

"Ah yes, _Agent _Lisbon, and you are?" the lady directed at Jane.

"He's our consultant, Patrick Jane" Lisbon hurried to answer before Jane had a chance to dig himself even further into a hole.

"Well, as you probably already know my husband has been murdered, so I'll just show you up to the house" the lady said, and as she turned Lisbon glanced at Jane, shocked. The lady wasn't even pretending to mourn her late husband, and Jane seemed to have noticed this too.

"Um, excuse me, I didn't catch your name" Lisbon called to her, wanting to get her talking so Jane could work her out.

"Velma Hanson, my husband was Charles Hanson, the lawyer" she called over her shoulder without even pausing.

Jane raised his eyebrows at Lisbon, and together they followed Mrs Hanson up the steep driveway.

The house was a glowing white colour, with a wide staircase leading up to an engraved wooden front door, which had been propped open by a small table. The entrance hall was packed with police officers, along with Cho, Van Pelt and Rigsby

Lisbon and Jane made their way across the hallway to where the rest of the team were standing, over a plum coloured couch. Lying on the couch, pale and unmoving, was Charles Hanson. He wore a neatly pressed black suit with a red tie and polished black shoes. The once pristine white shirt was now splattered with red.

"Hanson was shot at close range last night, two bullets to the chest" Van Pelt updated them.

"There doesn't seem to be any signs of a struggle, so it's likely Hanson was asleep here and didn't hear his attacker approach him" Rigsby added.

"That makes sense" Lisbon agreed.

Jane was slowly pacing around the couch, occasionally bending down to get a closer look at the body. He suddenly straightened, and turned to Lisbon.

"Finished?" she questioned. He nodded with a cheerful grin.

"Then we'll go and question the wife, there's something up with her. She doesn't even seem to care her husband's been murdered. You guys can check up on Hanson, see who might want him dead. It could be someone he's angered through his work or maybe a more personal issue. See what you can find."

"Will do boss" Van Pelt assured her, as she lead Rigsby and Cho out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

They sat on a black leather sofa across from Mrs Hanson, cup in hand, one tea, the other coffee.

Lisbon set hers down on the glass table in front of her, then turned her attention to the investigation.

"Mrs Hanson, can you tell me what you and your husband were doing last night".

"Well, my husband often works late, so I had dinner and went to bed at about 10pm. When my husband gets home he sometimes falls asleep on that couch. I presume he was asleep there when someone broke in and shot him, though I didn't hear anything. This morning I came downstairs and found him dead, so naturally I called the police and then the attorney general, who obviously called you."

"Naturally" Jane agreed, sarcasm only just detectible in his voice.

She recounted it as though it was an everyday occurrence to find her husband murdered. She was calm and in control, but there was something else too. She didn't seem to care at all. Lisbon expected she would at the very least be shaken, but her complete lack of emotion made her suspicious.

"Um, Mrs Hanson, you do realise you're a suspect in this investigation, don't you?" she asked with as much innocence as she could muster.

"What Agent Lisbon is trying to say, only she's too polite to just come out with it, is that you're showing no signs of grief or remorse, or even shock at finding your husband murdered in your own house. Either you hated your husband, or you killed him yourself. Which is it?" Jane questioned very forcefully.

Lisbon cringed at the expression on the aging woman's perfectly made-up face. She deserved everything Jane had thrown at her, and probably more, but Lisbon couldn't help dreading the outcome that often followed Jane's outbursts.

After an agonisingly long pause, Mrs Hanson, still clearly rattled by Jane's direct accusation, recovered enough to glare first at Jane and then at Lisbon.

"H-h-how dare you" she stammered, unsure how to react "I c-certainly did not kill my husband."

"I'm very sorry madam, but Jane does have a point" Lisbon said cautiously, not wanting to upset her further, "you don't really seem upset by Mr Hanson's death".

"Alright alright, I suppose there isn't any point pretending. I did not truly love my husband, but that doesn't mean I killed him. We _were_ in love, but Charles became so involved in his work over the years that we grew apart. We pretended for the sake of our reputation." Mrs Hanson's perfect posture seemed to drop, as though her pride had taken a considerable blow from her confession.

"So you didn't love your husband, like I suspected. But surely you felt something when you found him dead. Regret? A little sadness? Worry for your own safety at the very least. Yet you seem completely unaffected by it. The question is why. Did you kill him, did you organise for him to be killed or do you know who killed him?" Jane asked smugly, still enjoying himself.

It was obvious to Lisbon that Velma Hanson was finally beginning to realise the mistake she had made. She clearly hadn't noticed how obvious her disinterest in the case had been, and was now aware that she should have continued the charade of dedicated wife for a little longer.

"Look, I did not kill my husband, or order anyone else to do so" she said sternly, as if it made her statement instantly true.

"That leaves my final guess then, that you know who did" Jane put in.

Mrs Hanson was getting frustrated with Jane's know-it-all attitude, and was annoyed at how easily he could read into the situation.

"I don't know for sure, but I have my suspicions. Anyway, I'm quite confident that whoever did kill Charles isn't interested in me, because they could have killed me that same night. I was fast asleep, completely unable to defend myself even if I were to wake. No, whatever problem the killer had with Charles had nothing to do with me".

"Mrs Hanson, you said you had your suspicions about who your husband's murderer is?" Lisbon prompted, eager for the interview to end before Jane had the chance to mess it up any further.

"Oh yes, well any of the people he helped send to prison would hate him, along with many other people who hated him just because he was more successful than them" she said vaguely, as though it was irrelevant.

"No, when you said you had your suspicions you meant someone in particular. Who is that, Mrs Hanson? Who did you immediately suspect when you found your husband murdered?" Jane asked, leaning in closer to Mrs Hanson from across the coffee table to stare deep into her eyes.

Mrs Hanson leant further back into the couch, not meeting Jane's gaze. "I thought of Nathaniel, Charles' brother. He's been bitter with Charles ever since they were young. Charles was a couple of years older than Nathaniel, and received all the family's wealth when their parents passed away. Nathaniel believed he deserved the money because Charles already had a fair bit of his own, that he'd earned himself. But Charles said he'd worked hard for it, and that if Nathaniel did any real work he'd earn some of his own.

They were in their late twenties at the time, and haven't really spoken since".

"Ok, well, thankyou for your time Mrs Hanson, we'll let you know if we need anything else" Lisbon dismissed herself politely.

Jane, to her relief, followed without comment.

As soon as the door swung silently shut behind them, Lisbon turned an accusing eye to her consultant.

"What? I spoke nothing but the truth" he defended as they crossed the manicured lawn, down to the road where their ride was parked.

"You could have been a bit more sensitive. You practically accused her of murdering her husband" Lisbon criticised as she dug in her pockets for her keys.

"I just wanted to see her reaction. And it worked, didn't it. I got a lot of information out of her" he said with a self-assured smile. Then, noticing Lisbon's struggle with her jacket as she searched, stuck his hand into his own pockets and pulled out her keys.

"Hey!" she cried as he jangled them in her face.

"It's my turn to drive" he announced, snatching them away again as he climbed into the driver's seat.

Lisbon smirked despite herself as she got in beside him, and gave him a playful glare as he started the ignition.

* * *

**Please please review if you want to read more!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

When Jane and Lisbon arrived back at CBI headquarters, they were met by Wainwright, arms folded, a peeved look on his somewhat unintimidating face.

He motioned them into his office, Lisbon looking like a child being led into the principle's office, Jane like a child walking into a candy store.

They took their seats, Wainwright turning to Jane.

"No doubt you know what this is about".

"Am I getting a pay rise?" Jane asked innocently, without even grinning.

Wainwright struggled against a smile, Lisbon just rolled her eyes. She had become immune to his jokes.

_Almost._

"Really Jane" moaned Wainwright, his irritation gone, left with only exasperation. "Teasing the widow of a high profile lawyer is never a smart move. Velma Hanson gave me a call half and hour ago, saying a very rude consultant had just left her house, and she wanted him removed from the investigation. Immediately."

"Well. She deserved it" he said confidently.

"In his defence, she _did_ deserve it. And he got a lot of information out of her" Lisbon assisted. Jane shot her an approving glance. Which she avoided by looking out the window.

"I understand that Mrs Hanson is a very difficult person to get along with Jane, but please try a bit harder next time" Wainwright practically pleaded.

"Yes sir" Jane said, standing upright and saluting.

Even Lisbon laughed.

"So, what were your thoughts on Ms Hanson? Do you think she did it?" Wainwright asked.

"No, she didn't like her husband, but she had given in to her life of pretence. She didn't have the strength to fight against it. She had been pretending to love him for far too long, she had almost convinced herself it was true. It was his death that finally made her realise the truth - he had her trapped" Jane finished.

"That gives her motive, doesn't it? If she was trapped, killing him would have set her free" Wainwright questioned logically.

"Yes, but it was only after he died that she _realised _she was trapped. She didn't notice before that" Jane explained, as though the whole concept was obvious.

"But if someone _did _notice, and wanted to free her, _that _would be motive, wouldn't it?" Wainwright asked again, still trying to get his head around Jane's theory.

"Well, yes, but I doubt anyone _did_ notice. Mrs Hanson would make a very good actress. She pulled off the whole thing incredibly well. She almost had _herself_ convinced that she loved her husband. No, I don't think Charles death had anything to do with his wife at all" Jane concluded confidently.

Wainwright sighed, then turned his attention to Lisbon. "Update me as you find out more on the case. And this is a very important case, the AG wants it closed as soon as possible. You can go. Oh, and Lisbon. Try and keep Jane from screwing anything up."

"Will do" Lisbon agreed solemnly, rising from her chair. She and Jane left, and found the rest of the team watching them expectantly from the bull pen.

"Well?" Rigsby asked intently.

Jane plonked himself down onto his beloved brown couch, and turned to his favourite target.

"Wainwright said to tell you to stop eating all the food in the fridge" Jane told him, eyes closed as he spread himself out comfortably.

"What? I've hardly eaten anything, well not that much and I… Hold on a second. Jane he did not say that!" Rigsby realised too late he was being tricked.

Lisbon shook her head, chuckling. Van Pelt was close to tears of laughter.

"Man, you are so gullible" Cho said

"Am not!" Rigsby shot back, his face gradually turning pink.

"Anyway" Lisbon called, bringing everyone back to the job at hand. "What did you find out about our vic?"

"Charles Hanson had a lot of enemies" Van Pelt informed her. "He's a very high profile lawyer, and has put some pretty tough people in prison, from gang leaders and drug dealers to murderers. Many of them have threatened him with violence, but looking into them most just seem like empty threats."

"He wasn't working on anything just before he was killed, otherwise they'd be the most likely suspect" Cho added.

"What about his personal life? Any relatives with a grudge? Mrs Hanson mentioned a brother, Nathaniel?" Lisbon asked turning to Rigsby.

"Yeah, he was the only really close relative I found. Apparently our vic inherited a fair bit of money when their parents died. He was only 29, but already had a pretty decent income. Nathaniel hardly got anything because he was the youngest, but he thought he deserved more because he didn't have anywhere near as much money as his brother. He took it to court, but nothing came of it".

"And Charles didn't give his brother anything?" Lisbon questioned.

"Nothing. It looks like when his brother was a little younger he had wasted a lot of money on drugs, alcohol and gambling, so Charles didn't trust him to spend the money wisely" Rigsby informed them.

"It looks like out vic was right about his brother" Van Pelt told them, typing quickly from her desk. "He's been in and out of rehab ever since, and has also been arrested a couple of times for violence and DUI".

"Looks like we need to talk to Nathaniel" Lisbon said. Jane obediently rose from his couch.

"Van Pelt, keep searching for information. Rigsby, Cho, you can keep digging as well" Lisbon instructed, going into her office to get her jacket.

"Hey Rigsby" Cho called as he moved over to his desk, "look up there, gullible is written on the ceiling".

"Ha-ha, very funny" Rigsby said sarcastically, but as soon as Cho turned to his screen he glanced up quickly, just to be sure.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Jane and Lisbon pulled up out the front of a small, rundown house, completely contrasting to the one they'd visited earlier that day. The garden was so overgrown that the path leading to the front entrance was barely visible, covered almost completely with weeds, grass and drying shrubs.

The house itself was in dire need of painting, and a number of the wooden boards nailed to the front were hanging forlornly. Lisbon wondered how it was still standing.

"Well, this is lovely" Jane commented, without any sarcasm in his voice. Lisbon chuckled silently to herself as they made their way across the path to the peeling wooden door.

Lisbon knocked, half afraid the door would collapse on contact, but it remained intact. They heard footstep, and the door was swung open by a man of average height, with scruffy dark hair, who bore an obvious resemblance to the man they had seen lying dead on his own couch that morning.

"Nathaniel Hanson?" Lisbon asked, "I'm Agent Lisbon, and this is Patrick Jane, we're with the CBI. We've come to ask you a few questions about your brother, Charles".

"What about Charles?" Nathaniel asked, though he showed no real interest. He was dressed in a pair of shabby, faded track pants and a plain t-shirt, fraying at the seams. It was clear he wasn't anywhere near as well-off as his late brother.

"He's dead" Jane said unsympathetically. Lisbon rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to apologise. It was clear Nathaniel and his brother were not close, and she doubted he would be very upset by the news of his death.

"Really?" he questioned, his expression of complete shock seemed genuine. "What happened to him?"

"He was murdered. Do you have any idea who might have killed him?" Lisbon asked, taking Jane's direct approach of questioning.

"Look, I know why you're here. No, my brother and I did not get along, but I didn't kill him. What would I gain? He wouldn't have left anything to me, his bitch of a wife would have got it all" Nathaniel said, the hatred he felt for his late brother and sister in law was clear in his voice.

"Ok, well even if that's true, we still need to ask you a couple of questions. Can we come in please?" Lisbon asked, politely but with an air of authority.

Nathaniel stepped aside and held the door for them obediently, though reluctantly.

The hallway was lit only by a dull lamp at the far end, and was cluttered with assorted objects from beer bottles and CDs to cutlery and unopened envelopes. The smell of alcohol and dirty clothes overwhelmed them as they followed Nathaniel through one of the adjoining doorways into a small living room.

"Sit down" Nathaniel practically ordered, pointing to a stained, run down sofa that looked older than the house itself.

Lisbon sat on the very edge of the sofa to avoid as much of the grime as possible. Jane, however, remained standing. He paced the room, looking for anything that might give him insight into Nathaniel's life. There were no photos, nothing personal at all in the room. The TV was a small grey box, nothing like Charles' huge flat screen. There was a wooden coffee table in the centre of the room, but the room had no other furniture, apart from the sofa. Instead, like the hallway leading to it, clutter was piled everywhere. This room, too, smelt strongly of beer. Nathaniel obviously hadn't sorted out his drinking problems, and Jane suspected the same was true for his drug and gambling issues.

Nathaniel watched Jane sum up his living quarters, then turned back to Lisbon, seating himself on the coffee table facing her.

"What did you want to know?" he asked, eager to answer their questions so they could leave as soon as possible.

"Do you know anyone who would want to kill your brother?" Lisbon queried.

"Who wouldn't? He was a stuck-up, rich bastard who didn't care about anyone but himself" Nathaniel snarled aggressively. Jane, standing behind him, raised his eyebrows.

"Anyone in particular?" Lisbon asked, annoyance beginning to show in her voice at Nathaniel's avoidance of her questions.

"He was a lawyer. Maybe he locked someone up and they wanted to get back at him. Or maybe his wife finally got sick of him. I wouldn't be surprised. The only person who really liked Charles is his son".

"Charles had a son? It wasn't on his record" Lisbon was more surprised that Nathaniel had told them something they didn't already know than she was by the actual information.

"It wouldn't be. He didn't know himself 'til about three years ago. The mom was some chick he had a fling with in college, and she must've had a couple 'cause she didn't know who the father was. The kid got in contact with Charles and they hit it off. Saw each other quite a bit. If anyone knows who killed Charles it would probably be him" Nathaniel told them.

"What's his name?" Lisbon asked.

"I think its Erik. Yeah, Erik Garza" Nathaniel said, hoping they would finally leave him in peace.

"Thank you for your time" Lisbon said hurriedly as she stood up. She didn't want to stay in the horribly messy and smelly house any longer.

"Did Charles' wife know about Erik?" Jane asked on his way to the hall.

"Yep, she didn't seem to care too much about it, but I don't really know. I spoke to them as little as I could".

Lisbon wondered how he knew so much about their lives if he never spoke to them, but she let it pass. She could tell Jane didn't think he was their murderer, and she didn't want to spend a second longer in his disgusting house.

Jane breathed in deeply as the front door closed behind them.

"Ah, fresh air. It's beautiful" he exclaimed, drinking it in before he sat down next to her in the passenger seat.

"A second longer in that dump and I think I would have passed out. How can anyone live in a place like that?" Lisbon questioned as they drove off.

* * *

Van Pelt was typing away on her computer when they arrived back, and she greeted them cheerfully.

"Turns out Charles had a son he met only three years ago. His brother says they were close, so he might have some idea who killed him" Lisbon told her. "His name is Erik Garza".

Van Pelt typed his name into her computer, and within seconds his face appeared on the screen.

"Looks like his son is much better behaved than his brother" she remarked, "he's worse offence is a parking ticket, and that was years ago".

"We should go and talk to him, see if he knows anything useful" Lisbon said.

"Can I come with you? Rigsby and Cho have both gone for lunch, and I've found everything I can about Hanson" Van Pelt asked hopefully.

"Okay, sure. Let's go" Lisbon agreed and went to leave, when her mobile rang.

She groaned inwardly, and reluctantly pulled it from her pocket. Looking down at the caller ID, she saw it was Rigsby.

"Hey, what is it?" she asked.

"Mrs Hanson's disappeared. They think it might be a kidnapping".

"Really? We'll meet you at the house as soon as we can" she replied quickly, then hung up.

"Hanson's wife's vanished" she informed Jane and Van Pelt.

"Oooh, a kidnapping! Exciting!" Jane said excitedly.

Van Pelt glared at him, slightly shocked. "She could be killed, Jane!"

"Then we'd better hurry" he smiled, and left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

When they arrived at the house, or the 'Hanson Mansion' as Jane had taken to calling it, Rigsby and Cho were waiting for them at the front door. There were even more police cars than when Mr Hanson had been murdered, and they struggled to make it up to them, having to weave in and out.

"The police have checked for fingerprints and everything, there's nothing" Rigsby said when they finally reached him.

He stepped aside for Lisbon, Jane and Van Pelt to go inside.

While Jane walked around the entrance hall, taking in every tiny detail, Lisbon talked to the local officers.

"Agent Lisbon, I'm Officer Moreno. One of my officers found Mrs Hanson missing this afternoon. We asked her to stay at home, just in case, ya know? Anyway, we called her mobile and there was no answer".

"Do you have any proof she's been kidnapped?" Lisbon asked.

"One of the neighbours said they say a large blue van pull up in front of the house a couple of hours ago. He didn't actually see Mrs Hanson, but it's likely she was taken in that van. Unfortunately he didn't get a license plate" Moreno replied.

"Okay, thankyou. I presume there hasn't been a ransom request?" Lisbon questioned, and the officer nodded confirmation.

Lisbon then joined Jane in the adjoining room, a sophisticated looking study with a huge wooden desk and an equally huge, plush red swivel chair. Jane was seated in the chair, spinning in circles.

"Jane!" Lisbon called to get his attention.

He stuck out his foot to catch the desk, stopping himself suddenly, and turned to Lisbon, smiling broadly.

"Have you found out _anything_?" she asked, attempting to sound irritated, but failing miserably.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I have" he announced, holding up a shiny white envelope.

"What is it?" she reached over to take it, but he spun the chair around so it was just out of her reach.

"Jane!" she groaned, leaning in further and snatching it from him.

She flipped it open, and pulled out a thick piece of paper, folded neatly at the centre.

"Charles Hanson's will" she remarked as she skimmed over the document. "Leaving all his fortunes to…"

"Erik Garza!" Jane finished for her.

"His son! Turns out Velma Hanson had more motive than we originally thought" Lisbon said.

"Yes, it seems so" Jane agreed uninterestedly, staring into the fire place absent-mindedly.

"I do remember you saying Hanson's wife had nothing to do with his murder" Lisbon smiled.

"I stand by that" Jane defended.

"Um, how? She was going to lose all her money to a son her husband only just met. That's pretty good motive" Lisbon retorted.

"Doesn't explain why she was kidnapped, though" Jane pointed out smugly. He bent down and picked a scrap of paper next to the fireplace, then made his way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Lisbon called.

"Well, if all Hanson's money was going to his son, don't you think it might be a good idea to check if he's still alive?" he suggested, and continued into the hall, Lisbon hurrying to keep up.

They found the rest of the team huddled together in the hall crowded with police, and Lisbon showed them the will Jane had found.

"We're going to check on Hanson's son. You guys should stay here, call me if you find out anything new" Lisbon instructed her team before she and Jane made their way down the posh drive covered in cop cars.

* * *

"How much further do we have?" Jane asked for the third time. Garza's house was nearly an hour's drive from his father's, and Jane was entertaining himself by annoying Lisbon.

"Two minutes less than when you last asked. Jeez Jane, you're like a three year old" Lisbon threw back.

Jane was silent for a couple of minutes, munching on an apple he'd found in the car's console, despite Lisbon insisting against it, saying it could have been there for days.

They finally arrived out the front of a well-kept house, simple but clearly not cheap.

"Looks like Erik's daddy helped him out a bit" Jane observed as he stepped out of the car.

Lisbon rang the bell, and a couple of seconds later the door opened. Erik Garza was tall, much taller than Jane and Lisbon, thought that wasn't saying much. Lisbon guessed he might be around Rigsby's height. He was, however, much thinner than Rigsby, with dark, wavy hair and a warm smile.

The one thing that surprised Lisbon about him was his lack of sadness. The brother told them Hanson and his son had been close, yet he showed no signs of grief.

"How may I help you?" he asked politely.

"Mr Garza? I'm Agent Lisbon, with the CBI. This is my colleague, Patrick Jane".

"The CBI?" he asked, clearly not understanding the acronym.

"California Bureau of Investigation, we're with the police" she cleared up quickly.

"Oh, really? What's happened?" he asked, surprised.

Lisbon glanced at Jane in shock. She couldn't believe no one had told Erik about his father's murder. His name wasn't down as his son, but she would have though Mrs Hanson would have told him.

"I'm sorry you haven't heard" she said, turning back to him. "You father, Charles Hanson was murdered last night. I'm sorry for you're loss".

Garza's hand covered his mouth, and he breathed heavily with shock, eyes wide.

"Oh my God! Murdered? By who?" he questioned.

"That's what we're trying to find out" Lisbon said sympathetically, "would it be okay if we came in?"

"Oh, yes, sure. Sorry" he said, sounding flustered as he stepped aside to let them past.

He showed them into the dinning room, and they sat around a stone island bench on stools. The room was simply furnished, basic but with taste. Jane noted the expensive vase on the table, and the elegant portrait on the wall. Erik was clearly benefitting from his newly-discovered relative.

"Is there anyone you can think of who might have motive for killing your father?" Lisbon asked as she and Jane sat across from Erik.

"Well, he told me his brother hated him, but apart from that, I can't think of anybody" he answered, though he spoke quietly, as though every word was painful. "I'm sorry, my father meant a lot to me" he apologised.

"Really? You'd only known him a couple of years" Jane commented bluntly.

Erik looked taken aback, unsure how to respond. "I - my father and I - became close pretty quick…"

"I'm so sorry, please take no notice of him" Lisbon gasped, glaring horrified at Jane.

"Ah, yes, sorry" Jane said half-heartedly, "so you can't think of anybody else?"

"No… as you pointed out, I've only know him for a couple of years, and whenever I see him, it's usually just the two of us" Garza answered, though it was clear Jane's abrupt approach had gotten to him. He slouched a little in his chair, and spoke quieter than before.

Lisbon, it seemed, had noticed this change, and hastened to finish their inquiries.

"What about his wife, Velma Hanson? Have you seen much of _her_?"

"A little, but she didn't seem to like me that much. I understood her reasons, so I kept out of her way as much as possible. But she seemed okay, I guess. You don't think she had anything to do with dad's death, do you?"

"Well, she's a suspect" Lisbon replied simply.

"She's also been kidnapped" Jane added, earning himself yet another glare from Lisbon.

"Oh, my god, _really_?" Garza gasped.

"Yes, and we have to be going, thankyou for your time. We're sorry for your loss" Lisbon dismissed them briskly, practically dragging Jane out behind her by the cuff of his shirt.

Back in the car, Lisbon drove in silence, without even glancing at him.

"Oh, silent treatment is it now" Jane provoked.

"Not only did you insult Garza about his relationship with his father, who's just been _murdered, _you also disclosed private information on a case. We don't even know if Mrs Hanson's actually _been_ kidnapped".

"You think she just went for a walk?" Jane scoffed, leaning back in his seat.

Lisbon groaned loudly, reaching forward to turn the radio on, drowning out Jane's protests.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

When they arrived back at the Hanson residence, Wainwright was waiting for them at the base of the grand golden staircase at the end of the hall.

"Any news?" Lisbon asked.

"Nothing" Wainwright answered glumly, resting a hand against the banister. "Did you find out anything new from the son?"

"Nope. He seemed shocked about his father, to be honest I don't think he could think straight. Just mentioned the brother" Lisbon replied with equal enthusiasm.

Van Pelt and Cho joined them from one of the connecting rooms.

"Rigsby's talking to the neighbours, but so far, nothing" Van Pelt updated them. "Most heard a car around the same time, but none of them saw anything worth noting".

"Great. We've got nothing more than when we started. Hanson being kidnapped pretty much eliminates her as a suspect, and we've got no one else. It getting late, too" Lisbon groaned.

"Look, it's been a long day for you guys. You can all go home and get some rest, I'll call you if there's any news on Mrs Hanson" Wainwright offered sympathetically.

"Thanks" Van Pelt and Lisbon replied together, Cho nodded gratefully at Wainwright.

"See you all in the morning then" Jane called, already across the room to the door.

* * *

After just two hours sleep, Lisbon was jolted awake by the vibration of her mobile in the pocket of her jeans, which she hadn't changed out of in her exhaustion. She rubbed her eyes hazily before answering.

"Hello?" she mumbled almost incoherently.

"Lisbon, its Wainwright. We've had a call from one of the local officers. Late night partiers found a body dumped in a ditch at the side of the road. They think its Hanson".

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can" Lisbon promised, attempting to straighten her shirt out as she returned the phone to her pocket, grabbed her jacket that had been slung over a chair and headed for the door.

She pulled up behind Jane's little blue Citroen around half and hour later. The rest of her team were talking to Wainwright, occasionally glancing down at the body at their feet.

"Hey Lisbon!" Jane called when he noticed her walking down to join them, avoiding the puddles of mud the rain that had fallen while they slept had caused.

"Hi Jane" she replied, sincerity lacking in her voice.

"It's definitely Mrs Hanson" Van Pelt told her as she joined the small gathering. "A shot to the head, killed her instantly".

"Looks like the same weapon Charles Hanson was killed with" Rigsby added, confirming their suspicions.

Jane bent down and sniffed the body, examining it from every angle.

"What are you doing?" Wainwright asked exasperatedly.

"Well" Jane stood to address him, "Mrs Hanson is the sort of woman who always wears perfume, yet there's none on her right now".

"She was kidnapped. She didn't really have time to prepare" Lisbon retorted.

"Yes, but when we saw her only a couple of hours earlier, she was wearing perfume" Jane informed her knowingly.

"What does it matter whether she's got perfume on or not?" Cho asked, baffled.

"The rain must have washed the perfume off, so she must have been dumped here before it started, or in the middle of it" Jane said.

"Which means whoever kidnapped Hanson was never looking for a ransom. They must have always intended to kill her" Wainwright finished, catching on to Jane's line of thought.

"Exactly" Jane confirmed.

"I don't see how that's going to help us catch them" Lisbon commented unhappily.

"I have a plan" Jane announced.

Everyone groaned in unison.

"It's a very good plan" he insisted, turning to make his way back to the cars.

"Are you going to tell us what it is?" Lisbon asked as she hurried after him.

"Nope" he replied over his shoulder, smiling to himself.

Jane pulled into the driveway of the 'Hanson Mansion', which was completely surrounded by media. The news of Mr Hanson's murder had been pretty big, and with his wife dead too, the story was growing and growing.

As he stepped out of his car, Jane saw a familiar face coming towards him.

"Mr Jane, can you tell us anything about Mrs Hanson's murder?" asked a tall, blonde reporter.

"Ah, Karen Cross, how nice to see you again" Jane commented, "I actually do have something. Mrs Hanson was murdered because she noticed something she shouldn't have. They thought that, with Hanson dead, this fatal secret would die with her. They were mistaken, however".

"Really?" Karen asked, intrigued. "And what was this 'fatal secret'?" She was dressed in her usual style, a neat grey skirt suit with pale pink sneakers.

"Well, I'm not really sure yet" Jane replied sliding a hand into his pocket and bringing out a sheet of paper. "Mrs Hanson wrote down the secret in code" he announced, waving the paper and revealing the strange curved shapes drawn on it.

"Wow, that's amazing" Karen commented excitedly, "Will you let us know when you decode the message".

"Maybe" he said, and noticing Lisbon glaring at him from behind the camera man, left for the house.

"Jane, what were you doing? What are you talking about? There was no coded message!" Lisbon demanded when she caught up to him in the living room.

"No, you're right. I wrote the coded message" Jane agreed calmly.

"Then why did you tell Karen live on TV that there was one?" she asked, and suddenly realisation crossed her face. "This is part of you're plan, isn't it".

"Right again! You're getting good at this, Lisbon" Jane praised, though he was met with an expectant stare.

"So whoever killed Mrs Hanson will see the news broadcast, and think that the secret didn't die with her, and so they'll come after the coded message and we'll catch them?" Lisbon guessed.

"You are _good_!" Jane exclaimed, sounding genuinely impressed.

"There's one problem with that plan, Jane. How do you know there_ was_ a secret?" Lisbon asked.

"Oh there's definitely a secret. Only the murderer and Mrs Hanson know it. And me, but they don't know that" Jane told her.

"Presumably it would be too easy for you to just tell me what the secret it" Lisbon predicted.

"Exactly! That would spoil the fun" Jane answered with a wide grin. He walked back into the hallway, and placed the sheet of paper on the wooden table in the very centre of the room.

"I'm going to need you to clear everyone out of the area. Cops, press, everyone" Jane informed Lisbon, who moaned.

* * *

It took Lisbon almost an hour to clear the Hanson property as Jane had requested. She then moved their own cars so they were out of sight, and joined Jane inside. He had turned out all the lights, and together they positioned themselves underneath the stairs in the hall, where they could see anyone who came in, but couldn't be seen themselves.

"How long are we going to be waiting here?" Lisbon asked impatiently.

"Not long. The murderer knows they don't have long before the message is decoded. This is their only chance" Jane replied confidently.

Within minutes, the sound of footsteps echoed from the driveway.

"Told you" Jane bragged.

Lisbon rolled her eyes.

The door creaked open, and a ray of moonlight shone through, getting larger as the door opened further and further, until the entire hall was bathed in an eerie silver glow. Jane and Lisbon, still hidden from sight by the shadow of the staircase, saw the tall, silhouetted figure move across to the table, picking up the sheet of paper with Jane's 'mysterious' scribbles.

Lisbon suddenly sprung from the shadows, gun drawn. "Put your hands up!" she called.

The figure stood frozen, hands slowly rising above his head. Jane then flicked the light switch, brightening the room.

"Erik Garza?" Lisbon couldn't hide the surprise in her voice.

"Yes, Erik Garza" Jane smiled knowingly.

Garza looked from Jane to Lisbon in complete astonishment, hands shaking slightly, still clutching the paper that had caused his downfall.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

Back at CBI headquarters, Lisbon and Jane headed to the interrogation room where Garza was waiting.

"Hello Garza" Jane greeted him warmly, though the look he received in return was contrastingly cold.

Lisbon took the seat directly opposite Garza, while Jane chose to remain standing.

"Your agent told me you were the one who wrote the note, not Velma" Erik directed at Jane, though he seemed more curious than angry. "How did you know there was a secret at all?"

"What is this secret?" Lisbon asked.

"All in good time, Lisbon" Jane said, patting her on the shoulder. He then proceeded to enlighten them.

"The second I met you, I knew something was up. You seemed so grief-stricken by your fathers death, more than is normal for the situation. That was the first thing that drew my attention to you. Either you were just an unnaturally emotional person, or you were faking your reaction, and over-doing it slightly. Then, whilst in your father's study, I found his will, leaving everything to you. That gives you motive to kill him, but if you were close why not just wait until he died of natural causes. Besides, your father seemed to be helping you out a fair bit, so you didn't need to kill him for it. Also, Mrs Hanson had just been kidnapped. Why would you kidnap Mrs Hanson? She was the most likely suspect, and could easily have been convicted in your place, drawing all suspicion from you. But then, I found this". At this point, Jane pulled a small scrap of paper from his jacket pocket. It was burnt at the edges, and slightly curled.

"What's that?" Lisbon asked.

"I found it at the edge of the fireplace in Mr Hanson's study. It's the same paper his will is written on, and if you look really carefully, it's dated after the will I found".

"A new will" Lisbon gasped, finally putting the pieces together.

"Exactly. I was able to work everything out from this little scrap of paper. This will, I would guess, left all of Charles Hanson's money to his wife, leaving _you _out of the picture completely. You and your father had a fight the night before his death, didn't you Erik" Jane question, though it was clear he already knew the answer.

Erik confirmed this by looking down at his feet and remaining completely silent.

"You fought, and it was obviously pretty serious. You must have known your father was going to leave you everything before the fight, and you also knew he wouldn't leave you anything at all after it. So you killed him before he had a chance to change it. At least that's what you thought. Unfortunately your father was so infuriated by whatever you said that he changed it the second he got home. After you killed him, you crept into the study to find the will, which you found underneath a new one leaving everything to Velma Hanson. Thinking quickly, you through the new will in the fireplace, leaving it to burn. Now you would inherit all you father's fortune".

"I would have, too, if that stupid bitch hadn't found part of it unburned and worked out what I'd done" Erik yelled, lunging at Jane.

"Calm down Erik, don't make things worse for yourself" Lisbon ordered, drawing her weapon.

Garza returned to his seat, allowing Jane to finish his story.

"Mrs Hanson called you over, and confronted you about the will and her husband's murderer. She threatened to tell the cops what she had learned. You had no choice. You staged a kidnapping, so we would presume it was for a ransom. Then you killed her, and hid her where you thought she wouldn't be found for days. Unluckily for you she _was_ found. And I found this tiny piece of the will that even Mrs Hanson failed to notice" Jane concluded.

"Is all of this true?" Lisbon asked Garza. "It's pointless lying now. I bet we'll find the gun that killed them both in your house, and a blue van parked in your garage".

"Yes, it's true" Erik said with a sigh.

"One final question, Erik. What was the fight about?" Jane inquired.

"I saw through Velma's charm. I knew she didn't really love him, and I told my dad so. He flipped out completely. I knew he'd never trust me again, so I did what I did" he finished simply.

"Well, unfortunately for you, a piece of paper brought you undone" Jane smirked, enjoying Erik's misfortune a little too much, in Lisbon's opinion. Even if he was a murderer.

"Oh, and the reason your father 'flipped out' was he didn't love his wife either. You caught him out. He was worried that, if you noticed, others would too. You took him by surprise, and his immediate reaction was to get mad. You probably could have made up, if you hadn't killed him" Jane concluded.

Erik rested his head in his hands, and Lisbon motioned to Jane to leave him in peace.

* * *

The serious crimes unit sat around the table, munching on their 'case-closed' pizza.

"So you really worked out the whole case from one tiny scrap of paper?" Van Pelt asked, clearly impressed.

Jane nodded, finishing his mouthful of pizza, and washing it down with a sip from his favourite teacup. He placed the cup on the table carefully, then reached inside his pocket, pulling out his pack of cards. Removing three cards, he dropped them casually on the table, shuffling them around. He then arranged them in a row, picking up the centre card and turning to Rigsby.

"Bet you ten bucks you can't find the eight of diamonds" he grinned, putting the card back before moving them around so quickly his hands became a blur.

**The End**


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